Golf putters may be used in a variety of putting situations, from “on the green” putting to “off the green” putting. As a result, golf putters may be designed to accommodate the golfing conditions that result from such diverse golf situations. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,447, the front and back of the golf putter are elevated and the lower surface is smooth—in an effort to minimize the putter head from hanging up on longer grass. The elevated front also causes the striking portion of the face to hit the golf ball above the centerline of the golf ball, imparting a forward top-spin on the golf ball.
Golf putters may also be manufactured using a variety of manufacturing methods, such as investment casting, forging, die-casting, and injection molding. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,804, a golf putter is manufactured using injection overmolding. In this patent, a rectangular metal mass is injection overmolded with an elastometric material, such as urethane. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,669, a golf club head is manufactured from a fiber-reinforced plastic material using an injection molding process.